Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston closes four Catholic schools

HOUSTON - A tough announcement from the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston this afternoon.

Due to low enrollment, they made the tough decision to close four Catholic Schools, effective after the academic year.

The schools served the Catholic community for generations, but in the last five years there has been a drastic drop in enrollment.

Each school was only using 40% of their capacity.

The Archdiocese called it a painful but necessary decision to close Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Southeast Houston, Queen of Peace in Gulfgate, Saint Francis of Assisi in Kashmere Gardens, and Saint Pius V in Pasadena.

Debra Haney the Superintendent of Catholic Schools tells FOX 26 “We were looking at the low enrollment of the schools and trying to financially sustain them, and then the pandemic hit and that decreased the financial resources available to the archdiocese.”

257 students will be displaced at the end of the school year.

To assist those families the Archdiocese will grant $500 to each student as a tuition credit to attend any Catholic School of their choice. They are also planning on assisting those faculty and staff members who may soon be out of a job.

“Certainly if there are positions that are open at any of our other Catholic schools that they are qualified for, we will certainly try to prioritize them in the hiring process,” said Haney.

Each of the campuses that are supposed to close is affiliated with a Catholic Church. The superintendent expects those churches will feel the impact from losing the schools.